Tiger 19th July 1975

Forget the age of marvels, we are living in the Marvel age. Billion-dollar movies, each with bigger, stronger, and gaudier, superheroes. These heroes may have started with human frailties, but with each movie, their humanity feels further and further away. They may claim to have humble beginnings, but who can remember them as the movies clobber us over the head with the idea of all-powerful heroes. 

This is the second Marvel age I have lived through. I well remember as a child in the late seventies how hugely popular Spiderman was at the time. Every other kid had a pile of Spiderman comics, or a closet stuffed full of Spiderman toys and paraphernalia. Even my spendthrift parents weren't immune, and for my sixth birthday, I received a Spiderman gun that fired ping-pong balls, along with a Spider van to add to my non-existent matchbox car collection.

In the face of this tsunami of Marvel merchandising and comic empire, you might wonder why I chose to read UK boys' comics over the pile of Marvel and DC comics that cluttered every other child's room. A single word- relatability. Spiderman may have been pitched as an average teen with all the concerns that go along with that, but he never struggled to make the first eleven. He didn't play football in the winter and cricket in the summer. He never worried about if his boots matched the other players on the pitch, or practised football in the backyard of his Grans. Billy Dane did, and I could relate to him. I couldn't relate to a teenager fighting crime at night, but I could relate to Nipper, small and scrapping for every minute on the pitch. I could relate to Hot Shot Hamish, sharing both a name and beautiful flowing golden locks (sadly just a memory for this bald man now). 

These were my heroes, characters that inhabited the same world as me. I may not have ridden a speedway bike like Jo Tallon, but I had been to the speedway enough with my father to understand and smell and sound of being at the track. Jo was my hero, pushing herself and her bike week after week. Skid Solo was my hero, doing deeds on the track while nurturing a young lad the same age as me. Hot Hamish, Roy Race, Nipper Lawrence - all heroes. Martin and Tiny could well have been any number of my friend's older brothers as they became teenagers and gained our licences. They weren't spandex-wearing, or powerful, but they were heroes to me. It turns out it's true what they say. Not all heroes wear capes.   

Tiger

19th July 1975

Billy's Boots

Billy has been invited to take part in a practice game for the county side. Last week we saw him start badly, but on the cover of this week's edition his boots have taken a hand, and after shortening his run-up Billy clean bowls the batter.

Billy is feeling pleased with himself, but while fielding on the boundary he is distracted by his classmates. He misses a catch, and the ball strikes him on the shin, forcing Billy to leave the game injured. 

Back at school, Mister Renton tells Billy's team that Billy and Jimmy's punishment is now over and after being dropped from the team for two games are are now back in.

Their first game back they are playing Cranworth school. Looking through the scorebook, one of Billy's teammates observes that no team has scored more than fifty against Cranworth, leading to the assumption that Cranworth must have some good bowlers. 

However, out on the pitch, we see that it's not good bowling that is making for the low scores, but rather a rough pitch that makes the ball almost unplayable. One of the Groundswood boys is out almost immediately, and the strip ends this week with Billy walking out to bat, while his friends offer a dustbin lid to strap to his chest to stop him getting hit. 

These last few weeks of Billy playing cricket have been superb, and this is another strong entry in this storyline. Billy's first delivery was well worth its front-page status and set us up for another issue of ups and downs for the lad. From his bowling performance, things took a turn as he was brought back to earth in the outfield, a nice little lesson tucked into the pages for any boy who gets overconfident after a good performance. The interaction with Mister Renton is also an aspect of the story that delivers more than it should given how little space is dedicated to it. In just a single panel Mister Renton displays his power over Billy and his friends, and although he is installing strong discipline it also shows he has some humanity. This makes for a well-rounded character that is crucial to the lives of Billy and his friends. However, it's not Mister Renton who has the best line in the story, it's the Math teacher who delivers the hottest line we have seen in a Billy's Boots story for some time. It also happens to be the best line in the comic. Lovely writing, and it gives the story an extra edge that makes me smile just thinking about it.

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Gosh, the Cranworth lot are even more scruffy than we are!"

Skid Solo

Another day of hard graft by Sandy McGrath, and it looks like Skid's car will be ready in time for the British Grand Prix. 

Skid makes the start line in his car cobbled together from two vehicles. Driving aggressively, he leads the field early on, before pulling into the pits with steering issues. 

A quick repair by Sandy and Tommy soon has him back on track. He makes up the lost time, breaking the lap record, and regains the lead. But again he suffers car issues, this time an overheating problem, and Sandy makes another repair. 

The next lap Skid is back in the pits. He has had steering problems again, although this time much more severe and has crashed into a barrier. 

With his race over, Skid tells Tommy that it's best to keep busy at a time like this. With that in mind, he offers to take Tommy for a driving lesson. This lesson is going well until Tommy is rear-ended by a truck as he slows down at some traffic lights. The truck driver blames Tommy, but after he recognises Skid he changes his tune, asking for an autograph and offering to pay for the damages. 

An uneven story for Skid this week and I didn't like it anywhere near as much as I should have. My biggest problem is that immediately after crashing out of the race, Skid leaves the track to take Tommy for a driving lesson. I understand that this is a comic and not reality, but even so, I found this a bit on the nose - especially coming from a professional such as Skid Solo. He has always been the model of professionalism on these pages, and it suddenly seemed out of character to see him leave with Tommy. Before this incident, I had greatly enjoyed the race, and the trials and tribulations facing Skid and his men. Drama after drama stacked up, and through it all Skid kept driving with a steely determination. It felt like we were back to the very best of Skid Solo, so it was disappointing to have it all swept away by Tommy's driving lesson. Even so, the lesson could have been handled better, and the way it finally played out with the lorry driver was weak and not to the usual standard I have come to expect. The motor racing was a solid eight, while Tommy's lesson was a four, giving the strip an uneven score of six. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "That Mon's always got a chance as long as his wheels keep turning!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Tiny and Martin are at Silverstone for a mini race, but during practice, a wheel falls off and the car skids off the track. 

Assessing the damage, they find it is fixable with the right parts. They have no money, but Martin sets off to buy the parts they need, promising to pay everyone back the following day once they have won the race day. 

Race day goes well, and Martin is leading the race by a handy margin. However, he has a bit of bad luck as a stone is flicked up off the track and shatters his windshield. This sends him crashing off the track and out of the race. 

Back at the pits, Martin is towed in. The tow driver tells him it's five pounds for the tow, but he can pay tomorrow. At that moment the race organiser also tells them that they haven't paid their entry fee, and he will also collect his money tomorrow. The boys have a quick tally up and come to the realisation that they need one hundred and thirty pounds by the next day or they will be facing some big trouble. 

Glorious to look at, absolutely glorious. The colours for this issue are spot on, and the story popped off the page at me. The second page was a treat, and seeing Tiny dressed as a program seller was a moment that made me laugh. The final panel and the looks on their faces were the best of the lot and a great way to leave this week's story. Expressive and emotive, the artwork emphasised the dialogue and made an impression that only comics can. Tiny and Martin and their money issues is a never-ending saga (has there ever been another strip in a boys' comic so focussed on money?) that throws up scenario after scenario. Everyone is thrown into the mix here, and we end with the situation where the boys owe money to everyone, a situation I can relate to, although it probably went over my head when I was a boy. If I knew how much of my life would be given over to worrying about mortgage payments etc, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed Martin's Marvellous Mini and their money issues as much as I did when I was a boy. Still, I find it even more relatable as an adult, and I shall be scouring next week's issue to steal their money-making ideas for myself. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "And all we've got is a fifty pence each...and a very badly broken mini..."

Johnny Cougar

Johnny Cougar and Golden Boy receive a warm welcome at the athletic stadium as they prepare to compete against each other in a marathon series of competitions. 

The first competition is a 1500-metre race, a race that Cougar wins easily after pacing himself throughout the run. 

Next is the high jump, and Johnny also wins this easily, electing to watch as Golden Boy takes on a variety of steadily increasing heights before Cougar beats them all with the Fosbury Flop. 

The next event is the 200-metres. Cougar is winning again when suddenly Golden Boy trips him. At the speed they are going Cougar could be badly hurt in a fall, but we'll have to wait until next week to see what happens next.

A simple enough story, and one I enjoyed without ever becoming too involved. The artwork highlighted this and kept out of the way as the story told itself. After the intensity of the wrestling match, this issue gave us a chance to catch our breath as the action on the page slowed down. We had three events, but none of them was particularly taxing, and they were each neatly compartmentalised. The only real drama on the page was the third event, and even then it was the final panel where we finally had some conflict. A light story, the highlight oddly enough was the opening panel as they paraded around the stadium in the back of a car. It wasn't the Cougar I have come to expect, but I enjoyed the change of pace and it was a nice read for a Sunday morning. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Brave words...Cougar think you should save your breath...you going to need it!"

Nipper

Nipper is about to open the batting for Grove Lane Cricket Club, facing the lightning-fast bowler Typhoon Tuggey, who is making it a personal mission to hurt Nipper. 

Tuggey delivers on his promise. The first ball almost takes Nipper's head off,  while the second and third ones are too fast to see and smash Nipper in the hand, and in the stomach. 

Sir Henry is watching on with his son Roger, and he tells Roger that he hopes he is learning a thing or two from Nipper. 

Out in the middle Nipper finally manages to get a single and escape the onslaught. However, his batting partner is out the next ball, clean bowled by Tuggey. Roger comes to the crease looking scared stiff and anxious about facing Tuggey, Nipper can see that he's scared and appeals to Tuggey to take it easy on the lad, but Tuggey merely laughs and tells Nipper that all of Grove Lane's players are fair game as far as he's concerned.

This story carries a lot of promise but has yet to deliver. We have now got a handle on Tuggey and his intentions, and although we saw Nipper struck by some frightful blows, the worst is yet to come. Having the chairman's son Roger thrown into the mix added an extra angle int this conflict between Nipper and Tuggey, and things look like they are out of Nipper's hands for now. This was a nice touch, and I appreciated that for once Nipper cannot dictate what happens on the page. It is a chance for other characters to come forward and move the story along, and I think the conflict between Roger and Tuggey will give the story another layer that will help it become a deeper and more interesting read. Maybe none of this will happen, and I will be eating my words next week, but for now, I am happy with the direction we are pointing and waiting to see what will happen next. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "By gad! A blow like that would have felled an oak tree...yet Lawrence is bouncing right back again!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy has promised his French friend Jules that he will help him find his kidnapped son, but first, he must find a way of wrangling his way out of an English team trip to the movies. 

Roy has a scheme, and it works perfectly. Putting in some extra training with the English team, he returns to his locker and tells the manager that he has lost the key to his locker where all his street clothes are. The manager is frustrated, but there is nothing he can do. Roy tells him that he'll rush back to the hotel get his clothes, and then meet them directly at the cinema. This they agree to and Roy is soon on his way to meet up with Jules. 

He and Jules fill a suitcase with newspapers instead of ransom money and drop it off at the appointed spot. The money floats down the river, and further on it is fished out by two masked men. They are shocked when they find that Roy has also been in the river, floating under the suitcase, and he catches one with a punch before grappling with the other. 

Jules is quickly on the scene, and the pair of them soon have the kidnappers sedated and waiting for the police. Roy leaves Jules to wait and scampers off, desperate to meet up with his English colleagues and hoping all this drama doesn't affect his performance on the field the following day. 

Excitement plus, with barely a football in sight. I hadn't expected things to escalate as fast as they did and the story was up and running before I knew it. The artwork in the story was better than I have seen in a long time, and I think a large part of this was having Roy away from the football field. The scenario he was in was far more interesting to the eye, and the artist gave us several great panels of Roy in action. Roy bursting from the water to strike the kidnappers was a standout, as was the brief fight that ensued. This story has been building for several weeks now, and this week we got the payoff with a healthy dose of action and some great Roy Race moments. It's not over yet, but it is hard to see how this issue will be topped and it feels like this will be the pinnacle of this storyline. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "I guess they didn't expect us to turn up this morning! You chump, Roy! We're due at the cinema in half-an-hour! The manager has got a reception laid on!" 

Hot Shot Hamish

Hamish is stuck at the top of a mountain, while the rest of his team are off playing. The local guide tells Hamish that there are two ways down; the fast way or the slow way. Hamish elects to take the fast way and finds himself unceremoniously pushed off the side.

Still tied to his guide, Hamish is soon on his way down as his guide negotiates the sheer cliff. As they reach the lower slopes they see some grass skiers, and Hamish offers that he wouldn't mind trying that himself. His guide obliges him, and Hamish is soon zooming down the hill. Despite a warning from the guide, Hamish ends up in the local river, where he comes out drenched and covered with mud. 

Back at the hotel, Hamish settles down in front of the TV with some locals to watch the Princes Park game. Princes Park is already two-nil up when there is a heavy foul committed against one of their players. Hamish is unhappy and yells at the TV. At the ground, a fight breaks out between the players and spectators, and back at the hotel, Hamish is soon engaged in some fisticuffs of his own as a brawl develops in the TV room over the decision. 

The first half of this week's story had some light humour, but the thigh-slapping laugh-out-loud moments were in the final panels as the fighting started. You can't beat an old-fashioned brawl, and with the exaggerated cartoon aspects of Hamish thrown it, this was a doozy. I temporarily forgot this was a football story, and just revelled in the expressions of Hamish and his combatants on the page. It wasn't as silly as some of the previous issues, and even having Hamish on grass skis was funny rather than just foolish. We are in the midst of a humourous streak for Hot Shot Hamish, with some of the drama of the football season temporally forgotten and replaced with a more sedately paced and amusing storyline. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Hooligan! Does your team no' ken how to play football?"

Tallon Of The Track 

Club chairman Basil Oldfield wants to bring new blood into the Ospreys team and tells Jo Tallon that he wants to bring in Bill Bolton. Jo is unhappy with the situation, although there is little she can do about it at this moment and for now they must wait until Bolton's trial with the Lions has finished.

Wanting to take her mind off the team, Dave offers Jo to enter a scramble meeting with him the next Saturday. She readily accepts, and come Saturday both are geared up and waiting to go at the start of the scramble. Their good mood is interrupted but the appearance of Bill Bolton who has also entered the scramble. Showering Jo with mud, he once again riles her up and Jo is furious when she finds she'll be racing against him in the intermediate event.

The event begins, and Jo and Bolton prove to be a cut above everyone else. Soon they are both far out in front, with Bolton holding an advantage over Jo. Coming over the hill, Jo can see Bolton has stopped at the bottom of the hill and is currently opening a gate. Jo can't fathom why, as the scramble goes straight past the gate, but we will be sure to find out come next week. 

I'm still not feeling enthusiastic about this story, although my interest has been piqued somewhat by this scramble race. It seems Jo has her work cut out to win over Bolton, and he doesn't look like he will bend easily to her will. Paired with the scramble race, we have two story threads crisscrossing each other, and each should provide fuel for the other. To have a storyline of purely Jo clashing in the team would be repetitive after the previous storyline, and throwing in this scramble has raised the stakes, and my interest, considerably. Next week may well be make or break as far as my interest in the story goes, but things are looking promising and I have high hopes for the next issue. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Tut-tut, what an accusation! A nice, quiet, well-bred lad like me wouldn't dream of doing a thing like that!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story:  Roy Of The Rovers 

Best Line: "If you two hurry up and sit down, you can get professional coaching here...in maths!" 

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: 

Tiger 12th July 1975

This week's issue is surprisingly consistent, with every strip delivering a solid story. Although nothing stood out, neither did anything underperform.  Most stories are building nicely towards a larger event, with several improving on their previous week's edition. This left me wanting more, and by the time I finished this comic and was well-primed for whatever comes next. Just like football, consistency is more important than flash, and this week's comic is a solid midfielder rather than an over-priced striker. 

Tiger

12th July 1975

Johnny Cougar

Johnny Cougar has the upper hand in his wrestling bout against Golden Boy, but Golden Boy is far from done and still has a couple of tricks up his sleeve.

Cannoning off the ropes, Golden Boy catches Cougar with an almighty head butt. As Coiugar falls to the floor, Golden Boy follows this up with what should be a match-winning elbow smash.

However, Cougar has other ideas on the matter and just manages to move his head before Golden Boy's elbow comes crashing down hard into the mat. 

Golden Boy is now injured, and Couagr wraps up the match with a furious throw that tosses Golden Boy out of the ring and into the crowd. Cougar wins by a knockout, and the audience wonders how the winner will be decided now that Golden Boy has won the boxing and Cougar has won the wrestling. 

The ring announcing enlightens us all in the final panel, telling the crowd that the two men will compete in a marathon series of competitions in the local Athletics Stadium next week,. These competitions will test the strength, skill and stamina of both men and only the very fittest will triumph. 

The ending of this bout was inevitable, yet highly enjoyable as we were presented with several captivating images of Cougar throwing his opponent across the ring. Like the previous issue, the story focused entirely on the wrestling match and played to the strength of the Cougar character. With the artwork showing the two wrestlers' bodies in the best possible light, as well as beautifully rendering the faces of those watching, the story practically leapt off the page at me and was a visual treat throughout. I may not have been entirely enthused about Golden Boy or the premise behind the fight, but I can't deny that it looked great and hooked me from start to finish. This is a boy's comic doing what boys' comics do best - fast-paced action with two sportsmen who look more like superheroes. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Johnny let him go...the Golden's Boy's become a human rocket!" 

Hot Shot Hamish 

With Hamish in goal, Princes Park has gone two goals down against their Austrian opponents. Mister McWhacker has seen enough, quickly pulls Hamish out of goal, and puts him back in the outfield where he expects Hamish to score three goals. 

Hamish makes an immediate impression, dribbling the ball past several players before putting the ball in the back of the net....for an own goal. 

Mister McWhacker's halftime team talk is succinct - it's all Hamish's faulty and they should play him out of the game,

This they do, although they still end up losing three-one. The next day Hamish is rested for the game and while the team travel to the neighbouring town Hamish goes sightseeing. 

He tries out the ski lift but finds he doesn't have a head for heights and faints as the lift carries him to the top of the mountain. From the top he has only two options - take the ski lift back down or walk down while roped together with a mountain guide. Hamish elects to go with the guide and he tells those around him that he is no longer a footballer...he is a mountain climber.

A humorous story and one that had a fine balance between football and off-field shenanigans. Both served up funny situations, although I did find Hamish on the ski lift to be the funniest part of the strip. The size of Hamish compared to the seat was funny in itself and coupled with the look on his face, one couldn't help but laugh. On the field, his own goal was funny, but having scored several own goals myself I couldn't laugh too hard at the big man. This isn't quite classic Hot Shot Hamish, yet it was close enough to give me several laughs that were well-deserved.   

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "No ye don't, mon! I'm no getting on that tiny wee seat again!"

Martins Marvellous Mini 

Tiny and Martin can only watch on helplessly as their hard-won money is blown overboard as they catch the ferry home. 

Arriving back in Britain they find themselves again looking for a way to make money, and as they drive away from the docks they see just the thing with a billboard advertising the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. 

Thinking that they might be able to enter one of the supporting races they drive to Silverstone where they are disappointed to find that all the places have been taken for the mini races. However, they are offered jobs as programme sellers, an opportunity they have no option but to take. 

As they begin to sell programs they see the minis practising on the track, and as luck would have it there is a serious accident that sees several minis unable to take part in any further racing. 

Martin and Tiny are offered their spot for the races, providing that can put in some good practice times. Their first lap is extremely fast, only a second outside the lap record, and their place in the race is assured. However, as Martin takes the car out for a few more practice laps, he finds one of the rear wheels coming off and we end with him crashing off the track and into a hay bale. 

Another week of ups and downs for Martin and Tiny. As we see many times throughout their storylines, something good happens, only for something bad to occur over the page. This week they lost their money (boo!), and then see the sign for Silverstone (yay!). At Siverstone they are told there are no spaces in the race for them (boo!) before a bad crash offers them a chance (yay!). A fast lap time (yay!) followed by a crash off the track (boo!) rounds out this issue and I am exhausted by the end of it. I generally like the direction we are heading, although I would have liked to see anyone one of these key moments stretched out a little more. Told across two issues, this week's strip could have had more time to breathe, and each one of their ups and downs would have carried more weight. Still, what do I know, I only read the comics, I don't write them. Similar to Hot Shot Hamish before it, this isn't a classic issue for Martin's Marvellous Mini, although it was likeable and sets up expectations that it will only get better in the coming weeks.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "I say! Those types were selling programmes yesterday! Surely they're not competing!"

Billy's Boots

Billy and Jimmy are trialling for the county Colts team, and when we last left them Billy was just about to face their fastest bowler. It doesn't go well for Billy. The bowler is much too fast for him, and he ends up on the ground looking back ruefully at the bowler, 

Explaining to the coach that he's only a schoolboy and has never faced a bowler that fast, the coach decides to see how he goes bowling. 

On this front, Billy delivers in spades, with his magic boots helping him bowl a variety of high-speed deliveries at the county opener, before eventually bowling him with a slower ball. 

The coach is suitably impressed, and Billy finds himself in the team for Saturday's game,  opening the bowling no less. 

This proves to be a different kettle of fish, and Billy is smashed to the boundary for his first two balls. However, for his third delivery, he shortens his run up and can feel the boots are up to something - something we'll have to wait until next week to see.

I may have said it last week, but I prefer this cricket storyline to any of the football stories we have seen from Billy's Boots in the previous months. I like that there is more adult involvement, and we have an expanded cast of characters, some more important than others. There is also extra detail in the artwork and it is more nuanced than we have previously seen. Several panels were outstanding this week, and in particular, I had a soft spot for the montage showing the professional cricketer facing a barrage of deliveries from Billy. Splendid stuff and it added extra depth to a story that is already pushing the boundaries of what it had previously been. I spent more time reading this story than any other this week, and that is attributable to the artwork and the extra detail at play. It drew me into the story like no other and although it wasn't my favorite story this week, it was a very close second.   

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I told you...I've only played schoolboy cricket! We don't have bowlers who are that fast!" 

Roy Of The Rovers 

Roy is on the trail of his good friend Jules Bernand who has sneaked off from the hotel. 

It doesn't take long for Roy to get to the bottom of Jules's evasiveness. Snatching a note left for Jules in a phone box, Roy finds that Jules's nephew has been kidnapped with the kidnappers demanding that Jules pay one hundred thousand pounds for his release. 

Roy offers to help Jules and tells him he will formulate a plan before the rendezvous with the kidnappers on Wednesday night, just two hours before the Nations Cup Match. 

Roy phones Blackie and his team and finds the Rovers have won the five-a-side tournament without him. Roy then joins the England team in preparation for the match against the French and practises the tactics that will hopefully win them the game. All seems to be going well, but in the final panel, the manager tells the team that he will be taking them to a movie, a western, before the match to help them relax, right at the same time that Roy is supposed to meet Jules for the rendezvous. 

The plot accelerated with this issue, and I found myself well and truly caught up in the action. I had been lukewarm about this story the last two weeks, but this week it all came together in a thrilling ride that has me hungry for more. There was very little football, aside from the practice, instead, we are entirely focused on the kidnapping and Roy's offer to help Jules. The five-a-side was wrapped up quickly, and I'm pleased to see it wasn't played out on the page, instead a single call to Blackie was all that was required to wrap that up while Roy concentrated his attention on Jules. A fast-paced issue this week, and the story continues to quickly unfold, making next week's issue unmissable and one of the first stories I will turn to. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "I'm going to help you get Armand back! And it won't cost you a penny! When you meet those kidnappers, I'll be right behind you!

Skid Solo

The team is practising for the British Grand Prix when disaster strikes. Distracted by a low-flying helicopter, Skid spins off the track. He is unharmed but furious at what has happened. He takes out his anger on the helicopter pilots before rudely telling Tommy and Sandy to fix the car as he storms off. 

In the office, Skid gives another blast to the race officials and then threatens the photographers waiting outside for him. 

Back at the pits, the news is not good and Sandy has been unable to fix the car. Tommy is sent to get the spare car, and with the help of another mechanic, they soon have the spare loaded onto a trailer. However, as they drive through the night back to Silverstone, they suddenly come across a car on the wrong side of the road, and the car trailer is overturned. Although no one is hurt, Skid now has no car for the Grand Prix and is forced to withdraw,.

Although Skid tells Sandy he can't drive without a car, and will instead help teach Tommy to drive, Sandy to determined to find Skid another vehicle, and that is where we end this week;'s strip. 

It's not very often we see Skid angry like this, and it is almost out of character to see him being angry at a range of people. I liked it, and it helped bolster the character of Skid who can sometimes be one-dimensional and a goody-goody. Seeing him show some raw emotion made him more relatable, and I felt for him as he took his anger out on those around him. The artwork did a fine job of capturing his angry expressions, as well as those around him. Not only did the artist give us the human aspect of the story, but they also provided several great panels of the cars, especially of Tommy and the mechanic driving at night to fetch the spare car. These panels were the best in the story and gave some weight to the events happening away from the track. Another strong issue for Skid Solo, and with Sandy vowing to get Skid a new car, we still have some way to go.     

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Clear off! If you print a picture of me...I'll sue you!" 

Tallon Of The Track 

The Ospreys have lost their last four matches and are placed in a lowly fifteenth in division one. With falling attendance, Basil Oldfield, the club chairman, angrily tells Jo that the team had better buck their ideas up. Jo tells him that he should relax, he is confident about tonight's event. 

However, the performance on the track tells a different story. Dave Trent is going well in his heat, but the opposing rider, a youngster named Bill Bolton, manages to sneak by him. Dave keeps the pressure on, but Bill Bolton refuses to let him pass. Dave is forced to the fence, whereupon he loses control and crashes out of the race. 

Bill Bolton wins, and when confronted by Jo about his tactics he is unrepentant. He tells her that it's a shame that speedway rules don't allow women to compete, as he would enjoy beating her out on the track. 

Jo is angry, but all she can do is watch on as Billy Bolton comes first in all four of his scheduled races. To add fuel to the fire burning inside her, Jo is approached by Basil Oldfield at the end of the meeting, who tells her that the team needs an injection of new talent and he intends on signing Billy Bolton to the team. 

Another story about adding to the team, and after the last storyline of signing a new recruit, it seems we are retreading old ground. Perhaps this time around the writer thought he could do better, I don't know, but I do wonder why we didn't go this route last month when Jo was searching for new talent. I love seeing the bikes on the track, and the various scraps that Jo gets herself into, so this story of recruiting riders feels regressive and boring to me. The politics of signing riders to the team, and the conflict between management may be the stuff of Netflix dramas, but in a boys' comic, it feels out of place and doesn't compare to previous storylines. Next week may prove me wrong, I hope so, and although some aspects of this week's strip were outstanding, I couldn't help but feel it could have been better.    

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "All we've picked up is one rotten point! I'm going to have a word with Bill Bolton!"

Nipper

Nipper has accidentally knocked a visitor into a pile of old tyres. When the visitor comes up fighting, Nipper is taken aback and wonders who it could be. 

We soon find out it is Typhoon Tuggey from the Blackton Cricket Club. He is upset about a phone call that Nipper has apparently made, although Nipper knows nothing about it.   

Tuggey has a reputation as a nasty piece of work, and with Blackton being the next match for Nipper and his team, Nipper fears for his safety. He even talks about giving up cricket and just sticking with football. 

Game day arrives, and Nipper dutifully rides his motorcycle to the game. Here he has a piece of bad luck, for just as he arrives at the gate of the ground so too does Tuggey, and the pair collide on their respective motorcycles. 

Tuggey is furious, leaving Nipper further worried about facing Tuggey's bowling. It's no surprise then to see Nipper being greeted by the captain who tells him that he has won the toss and Nipper will be opening the batting against the fuming Tuggey. 

I like this new twist to the cricket story, with the off-field events affecting the on-field game. A nice rivalry is simmering away, and it is being brought to the boil for next week's issue which should escalate things further. I had previously questioned the need for Nipper to play cricket in the offseason, but I have reconsidered this after reading Harry Redknapp's book, and the stories of West Ham players in the sixties playing cricket after training. It was a different world back then, something I don't always remember as I read these stories with a modern eye. The more I read it, the more I realize the world of Nipper is firmly rooted in the past, with its tales of urchins playing in the street and footballers having other jobs outside of the game. Not only a good read, but one that touches on an era that has sadly passed and despite my best efforts I remain a stranger to the world of Nipper.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "No thanks, Mike! I've had enough of this cricket lark!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story:  Roy Of The Rovers 

Best Line: "Well...he's got the longest run-up I've ever seen for a boy! He's got to be fast!" 

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz:

Tiger 5th July 1975

I'm a couple of days late with the blog this week. I went to the rugby on Saturday night and I may have overindulged, making for a very slow Sunday indeed. Regretfully, I couldn't even manage a quick read through this week's comic, and I now find myself on Monday evening with a blank page and the feeling of a teenager who has left his homework to the last minute. Unlike Billy Dane, I don't have a Mister Renton keeping an eye on me, although I do have a wife who thinks I spend far too much time "with those silly comics".  Sigh. Here's this week's issue.    

Tiger

5th July 1975

Skid Solo

A flash of lightning and falling rain opens the French Grand Prix. On the track, it is a bad start for Skid Solo as his car fails to move as the flag drops to start the race. 

It is not as bad as first feared, and Skid is merely making a snap decision on the start line to change to rain tyres given that the rain is now coming down. 

Sandy and Tommy oblige him, and the race starts properly for Skid. He rapidly makes up the time lost, with several cars already crashed out of the race in the bad conditions. 

While other cars pull in to change to rain tyres, Skid continues to move up the field and as more casualties fall by the wayside Skid is out in front. 

Eventually, Skid falls foul of the conditions, and after recovering from a slide off the track he finds himself in second place behind Von Vargen with only two laps left. 

Some furious driving, and a slip from Von Vargen, sees Skid recover the lead. There is more drama to come, and a fast-moving Sparrow Smith overtakes Von Vargen, before zooming by Skid. This leads to a fantastic finish, with all three cars side by side as they come out of the final corner. The final drive to the line sees them all cross together, with Sparrow edging Skid and Von Vargen for the win, with Von Vargen claiming second and Skid third. 

The final comment goes to all three men who, when interviewed on TV, all simultaneously tell the viewers that it was wet. 

A great issue, only let down by the final panel as all three drivers spoke to the T.V. The racing action was crisp and fast-moving, with plenty of luscious panels showing the cars muscling their way around the track. It was great to see Skid making tactical decisions at the moment, and it wasn't just his speed around the track that got him to the front. It was equally enthralling to see three cars coming in for a close finish. The easy option, and one we have seen before, is to see Skid win the race handily. This close finish not only highlighted the competency of all those on the track but also created further drama with the driver's championship now becoming a close race. After several weeks of focusing on Tommy, it was refreshing to see us returning to a Skid-centric story and fast cars racing around the track. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Get these tyres off! I want rain tyres on...now!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Melchester Rovers are playing in a five-a-side tournament, and as the first game begins Roy can't concentrate as he is still wondering why his old friend Jules Bernard gave him the cold shoulder before the game. 

After losing the ball,  Roy gives himself a stern talking-to. This self-motivation tactic works, and Roy scores four quick goals, before limping off with a knock to the knee. 

It is not as bad as he is making out, and after quickly changing he takes the Rover's minibus and looks for his old friend Jules Bernard. At the hotel, Roy learns that Jules has left instructions not to be disturbed for the next twenty-four hours. Leaving the hotel, Roy has a stroke of luck as he sees Jules leaving by the staff entrance. Roy resists the urge to call out to him and instead shadows him, although we will have to wait until next week to find out where they are going. 

I'm not convinced this is a story I want to read. I like Roy, and I am intrigued by his relationship with Jules, but the story didn't grab me until the very last panel. The final panel is enough to lure me back next week, with the promise of the story deepening and a hint of danger. On the plus side, the artwork was fabulous this week. Away from the football, the character's expressions remained my favourite part of the story and I enjoyed reading their expression as much as reading their dialogue. You just can't beat the perplexed expression of Roy as he assesses the situation. The art and a strong final panel saved the story for me this week, and I have high hopes as the story moves forward that we will soon be on fertile ground.    

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Wake up, Skipper! You're playing like someone with a problem on his mind!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

After a brief holiday in Spain, Tiny and Martin find themselves now chasing some armed criminals with a policeman as their passenger. 

Seeing the road zig-zagging downwards, Martin has a good idea. With the help of Tiny and the policeman, they push a large boulder from beside the road and down onto the road below them. This stops the cars in their tracks, and a few panels later the police have their men and Tiny and Martin continue their drive home. 

Reaching the French border they are stopped by the Italian border guards. They fear the worst but are instead rewarded for their efforts earlier in the story and presented with a wad of money. 

The boys are soon on the car ferry and heading for Dover. They have yet to count the money and as Tiny pulls the cash out, a freak wave hits the boat and the strip ends with the money blowing overboard, much to the dismay of Tiny and Martin. 

A strong start undone by a weak midsection took the wind out of the sails of this story. Ironically it was a wind gust at the end of the story that picked it up and set the story sailing into next week. I expected more from a story that opened with the two lads under gunfire, and I can't help but feel a little cheated by the way this thread was quickly snipped off. The story never recovered from this, and it was only in the final panel that it began to move forward. Once more the lads have been parted from their money, and as we so often see they will be starting over next week and looking for a new way to earn some cash. On the plus side, the artwork was the best in the comic and was a delight throughout. I rated it so highly, that I made this my favourite strip this week, and considering how the story stalled in the mid-pages, that is really saying something about the art. It was beautiful to hold in my hands, and even after I finished my eye was drawn back to it.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Stop the ship! Money overboard!"

Nipper

Nipper has had a successful first game for the Grove Lane cricket team, although he now finds himself lumbered with looking after Sir Henry's son, Roger, who has gained new confidence playing with Nipper. 

Nipper leaves the cricket behind him and returns to his caravan where he has a new idea for training. Setting up an old mattress against the wall, Nipper kicks a ball against it. With the springs sending the ball rebounding in various directions, Nipper finds it good for his ball control and his reflexes. 

With the arrival of a tough-looking stranger, things go astray, and Nipper misses one of the rebounds. The ball cannons into the new arrival, sending him crashing backwards into a pile of tyres, and Nipper looks on horrified at the prospect of what could come next. 

Another story caught between two threads. The cricket spluttered to a stop this week, although it did seem to take a while to wind down with almost a page dedicated to Nipper and the fallout of his great innings with Roger. The second half of the story points us in a new direction with the appearance of both a football and a new character. Quite how this plays out in future remains to be seen, but for now, there is just a hint of interest from me as we pivot away from the cricket. The storyline with Roger and Sir Henry may prove to be a dead-end, and I am quietly hoping that this new direction will be the future way this story will progress. A lot of questions in my mind, which is always a good thing, and although this week is a stepping stone, next week the story should firm up and we will have a better idea of where we are heading.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Which is why I have decided to let you take him under your wing, Lawrence! Coax him along, as it were...make sure he keeps up the good work!"

Hot Shot Hamish 

Hamish has injured himself after falling off a ski jump, and as Princes Park takes the field against an Austrian team Mister McWhacker is concerned about his star player. 

Hamish makes it onto the field, although it is obvious that he's in a bad way. Mister McWhacker has named him as a sub, so Hamish is only to play if he's needed.

He is needed, as the Austrian team score a quick goal and the Princes Park keeper is injured while trying to make a save. Hamish takes his place in goal, although it is apparent he has a different set of skills from those required. 

Hamish's first goal kick is much too strong, and the team urge him to throw it next time rather than kick it. This he does, although he can't help himself and is soon charging downfield to help the attack he has started. It goes astray as he loses possession, and a long shot by the Austrian team is punched clear off the line by the Princes Park fullback. 

Hamish is unable to save the resulting penalty, and an angry Mister McWhacker tells Gordon to take the goal-keeping duties from Hamish while telling Hamish that he'd better score three goals in double quick time, or he'll be dropped for the next six games. 

Although I don't read Hot Shot Hamish to see Hamish play in goal, I did enjoy his cameo here. It was just long enough to give us a taster, and now the scene is set for Hamish to engage in some outfield action while Mister McWhacker threatens him from the sidelines. Good times indeed. We have something to play for now, and there is also the lingering thought that Hamish's ski jump injury may still have a part to play. The artwork wasn't as dramatic as we have come to expect, but there was still enough on the page to hold my eye and it propped up the story while Hamish was in goal. Some of the humour was toned down a little, which served this particular story well and was a nice change after the humour-heavy stories of the last two weeks. The balance here was much more to my taste, and although it wasn't the strongest issue I still found I read through it quickly and enjoyed what I saw. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Get back, ye great idiot! Ye're goalie - no' an attacker!"

Billy's Boots

Billy and Jimmy are about to face the wrath of Mister D. Renton after playing for the village team against their own school. 

The boys are worried, and rightfully so as they enter the office to see Mister Renton flexing his cane. However, he is pleased with their form as he has put their names forward to play for the Combined Schools team. Upon finding out that Billy and Jimmy are trying out for the County Colts, Mister Renton even manages a smile and wishes them good luck. 

Billy isn't confident about his ability for the Combined Schools team, and talking to Jimmy they decide to undertake some extra practice. Showing some good handyman skills, they build their own bowling machine in Billy's yard, although they do damage the TV aerial on the house in doing so. 

All comes good though, and Billy fetches the neighbor to fix it. It's better than ever and his Gran actually rewards him for his part in fixing it, giving him 25 pence (Don't spend it all at once Billy!)

At the County Colts trial, Jimmy finds himself struggling against a fast bowler while Billy watches on. As Billy's turn to bat comes, the ball is given to another player who bowls even faster, and Billy finds himself facing a bowler who bowls at almost the same pace as the Australian duo of Lillee and Thompson. 

The most striking thing about this story is we learn that Mister Renton's first name begins with a "D", at least that is what it says on the door of his office - "Mister D. Renton". This fired my imagination, and I did take a minute to consider what the D may stand for. The name Dave, or David, was at the forefront of my mind, and the more I looked at him, the more he looked like a David. No doubt we will find out in future years, I will be keeping an eye for it. Aside from my excitement about Mister Renton's name, the story delivered a few twists and turns and there was a lot packed into its two pages. The bowling machine built by the boys occupied a lot of the story and had a nice spin-off with a lovely moment between Billy and his Gran. All of it gave me warm fuzzies, and even as Billy prepared to face the pace bowler I was still dwelling on the moments between him and his Gran. It is not my favourite story this week, but it's not far off based on these soft family moments.   

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Nonsense. He's not fast...he's just a medium-pacer! Let your chum have a go. I'll put our pace-man on for him!" 

Johnny Cougar

Golden Boy is facing Johnny Cougar in a boxing match followed by a wrestling match. Golden Boy is declared the winner of the boxing portion of the fight, and now Johnny Cougar is promising to get even in the wrestling. 

Johnny is as good as his word, and for the next page and a half, he dominates the Golden Boy before the strip ends with Golden Boy down for the count while Johnny stands determinedly over him. 

Not much to write about, but plenty to look at as we are back to pure wrestling action. Golden Boy is tougher than it looks, and although Johnny Cougar dominated the fight, Golden Boy proved himself to be no pushover. The action was rendered beautifully, with large panels capturing the action giving it the space it deserved. It was well-paced, and the bout was given time to breathe in contrast to some of the other stories this week that felt rushed. With no gimmicks, the story hinged on the believability of these two large men fighting, and I was completely sold on the intensity and physicality of it all. Johnny Cougar is back to what he does best, and we are all the better for it.  

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Cougar ready to wrestle now! Soon your golden image become heap tarnished!" 

Tallon Of The Track

Jo has selected newcomer Buster Green for her team, and despite their rough start and the threats of previous reserve rider Bill Ritchie, he performs admirably on track. 

A selfless rider, he comes first or second in every race he is in, and inevitably Ospreys win the match. We finish with Jo watching on as Buster Green receives the trophy, Jo silently happy with the outcome. 

With no drama and little excitement on the track, there was little to spin my wheels here. The Ospreys raced well, and they won the meeting.  "Veni, vidi, vici" a lesser man might say. No peril or sense of the unthinkable happening made this a mundane ride through the countryside compared to some of the other situations Jo has been in. I was looking forward to seeing Buster Green and Bill Ritchie clash, yet it was barely touched on, and perhaps in a first for any strip in the comic, it was all smooth riding. I never thought I would say this, but I hope something terrible happens next week and we are again thrown into a world of the unexpectedly dramatic.  

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Jo, Buster's still leading! He's a natural!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story:  Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Best Line: "I can do two things to you two! I can punish you... or use you..." 

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz:  

Tiger 28th June 1975

The football season has ended and the next sixty-six days are all mine. Well, OURS, according to my wife. To fill the void of the off-season I intend to read plenty of football comics, so I will still be getting my fix one way or another. Suddenly the cricket stories of Billy's Boots and Nipper are far more appealing, and I can empathise with them already. I shall be reading them with fresh eyes this week, and no doubt rating them higher than I have in previous weeks. Another bonus of the football season finishing is that I no longer have to get up at 3 a.m. on Sunday mornings to watch my team play (it's tough to follow the Premier League when you live in New Zealand!). I shall be far less grumpy on Sundays, and less likely to fall asleep on the couch when I should be writing my blog. Expect a refreshed me back next week, and an extra thousand words on the blog!     

Tiger

28th June 1975

Roy Of The Rovers

The cover image is the one I was hoping we'd see at the end of last week's story. All the Melchester Rovers team are together for a team photo holding the cup. The new story begins almost immediately as the team splits up from the team photo. Roy is approached by a reporter who congratulates Roy on making the England team scheduled to take on France at Wembley. 

Roy is surprised and delighted to be taking on the French. The French team are in great form heading into the European Nations Cup, and Roy looks forward to playing them and his old friend Jules Bernard. 

The rest of the Rovers quickly congratulate Roy, and he tells them it is just as well he has entered them in a competition to keep them sharp. The competition he speaks of is a global five-a-side tournament and he has entered two Melchester teams in the competition.  

Three days later they arrive in London where they find miserable weather waiting for them. Roy thinks this is a good thing, the Wembley pitch will be heavy, and the French won't have kicked a ball since arriving. 

However, they arrive at the five-a-side tournament and find that the French have also entered a team. In the corridor, Roy sees his old friend Jules, but when he approaches him Jules runs away down the corridor. Roy has little time to consider this for at that moment Blackie arrives and tells him that their first game is about to start. 

An interesting start to this story, and already we have several threads coming together. I was immensely pleased to see the European Cup Winners Cup given its due on the cover. I thought that the winning of it was underplayed last week, but on the cover, it is given its rightful importance and moment to shine. Speaking of which, Roy making the England squad did seem rather low-key. Of course, it was in the era when players found out along with the rest of the public, a different time from now when the manager contacts the players directly. I liked this throwback to football past, and I am quietly salivating at the prospect of seeing Roy taking on the French team. There is also the small matter of this 5-a-side tournament, along with the fact that Roy's old friend Jules is avoiding him. A lot of good things to look forward to, and I am lured in by this bait already. Not much football this week, but the new storylines have been jump-started. I'm very tempted to pick up the next issue immediately, but I shall wait. I promise...

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "There's Jules...but why hasn't he changed? I thought he'd be certain to play..."

Skid Solo

The French Grand Prix is a week away, and this week we are on the water in Power Boats for Skid Solo. 

Skid has borrowed a boat and is entering a local motor-boat race,. With Tommy as his co-driver, Skid states slowly in the race to a bouy about twenty miles away and back. However, by the time they reach the bouy Roy has taken the lead and is soon speeding back to the start. 

It is now that disaster strikes, with a submerged log causing the boat to flip and throw both Skid and Tommy into the water. They are rescued, although Tommy has taken a bit of a knock and soon has several bandages on his face. 

The story ends with Sandy returning from the hospital, where he ended up last week, and finding Tommy working on the car despite his obvious injuries. Sandy tells him that he deserves a day off, and perhaps Sandy could take him and Skid down to the coast to see the power boats, and maybe even race one themselves.

Tommy respectfully declines, and in the final panel Sandy tells Skid that sacking Tommy did him a lot of good - he is now putting the car before pleasure. However, he is ignorant of all that has come before with Tommy and the boat. 

A likeable story, despite taking place on the water. I enjoyed seeing Sandy stumble ignorantly in at the end of the strip and confidently telling Skid that his sacking of Tommy did all the good, without knowing anything about Skid and the accident with the power boat. Ignorance is bliss as they say. The race was told simply, with each panel dedicated to a beautiful shot of the boats. There were no close-up actions or facial expressions, just boats racing on the water. It was refreshing to see and it gave the strip a new dimension that we don't usually see in motor cars. It looks like the troubles with Tommy are over and next week's Grand Prix should see the characters start from a clean slate.   

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "You deserve a bit of time off, Tommy - come with me this afternoon...Sandy won't know. He'll be at the hospital all day. They're taking the plaster off his leg..." 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Tiny and Martin have won the Scandinavian rally and are now in pursuit of Vedgic, manager of the Ravnian team, who has absconded with the five thousand pounds he owes them.

This pursuit has seen them stray onto an airport runway, where a giant jetliner is about to land on top of them. A quick stop sees them avoiding disaster, and they quickly make their way into the airport buildings. They are just in time to catch Mister Vedgic, and after receiving the money they are owed the story quickly moves onto fresh territory. 

Tiny and Martin drive through Germany and France, and when we next see them they are driving over the mountains into Spain. Spain brings them sun, sand, and a relaxing few days. However, they are soon bored and decide to pack up and drive home. 

While driving both comment on how peaceful it is, only to be suddenly stopped by a policeman who insists on jumping in with them and ordering them to follow the acre ahead. 

While chasing the car, the policeman fills them in on the back story. The car ahead has two dangerous criminals, armed and desperate. A flurry of bullets hitting the windshield emphasises this point, and we end the story with boredom far from the minds of Tiny and Martin. 

Last week's story was quickly wrapped up, a few gentle days in Spain, and then we are thrown in at the deep end with this thrilling pursuit. I can't help but like it. I had my moments of the two pals bonding on holiday, some spectacular opening panels of the giant jet landing, and then the final half page which thrust us into something entirely new. All of it came in easily digestible bites, and this made for a story that continued to move forward, even when they're wasn't really anything happening. The art has to be praised for its colourful dynamism, and the way it makes the words redundant. It was a case of a picture being worth a thousand words. a point emphasised to me as I tried to quickly sum it up. A spectacular issue, and made all the better for the colour choices on the page. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "Are you sure you haven't been reading too many adventure stories?" 

Billy's Boots

Billy and Jimmy may be dropped from the school cricket team, but they have managed to get a game with the local village team playing against their own school.

Needing 143 runs to win, the village team has scored no runs for the loss of three wickets when Jimmy Dawson takes his turn to bat. His partner is an older man who reassuringly tells him not to rush, they'll be OK. He also tells him no quick singles, as he can't run fast.

It's good advice, and they form a good partnership, scoring more than fifty runs. Eventually, Jimmy's mentor is caught, and Billy joins Jimmy at the crease. 

The captain of the village team doesn't think much of the new partnership, and heads inside for a cup of tea. Out in the middle, Billy and Jimmy begin to enjoy themselves as they play against the school team, and both score freely. Jimmy soon reaches sixty, while at the other end, Billy makes an easy thirty.

This comes to an end as Jimmy is stumped, and needing nine more runs to win a new batter comes to join Billy. This batter is nowhere near as good as Jimmy, and soon he is out, and the village team is in trouble as more wickets fall., As the last batsman joins him at the crease, Billy decides that he must take things into his own hands. He strikes the next ball for a four, before launching the next one over the boundary for six runs and the win. 

Colonel Cannon is finally impressed with his two young players, and thinking he has discovered a couple of future test players, he tells them to come to the county ground on Tuesday for a trial. Billy and Jimmy are excited by the prospect, although a glaring Mister Renton, the sports master, is far from impressed by what he has just seen and tells them both to see him first thing on Monday morning to explain why they played for the village team against their own school.

Of course, the village captain's name is Captain Cannon. It's all too perfect. Last week he was my favourite character and he cemented that position again this week with his condescending attitude and old-fashioned lines. He was what held this story together, and kept my interest up asides from when Jimmy and Billy were batting. They have won this battle, but the war is still raging, and by the look on Mister Renton's face they are in for some fairly stiff times come Monday. The homeliness and warm feel of the early village cricket dissipated under the stern gaze of Mister Renton as any warmth I felt from the comic earlier rapidly disappeared. It was a good way to bring the curtain down on an interesting part of the story and brought a balance to the comic that I appreciated and approved of. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Aaargh! Wh-what's going on? It-it's an assassination attempt!"

Hot Shot Hamish 

Hamish is still competing to be champion of the island, and things have taken a violent turn as Big John hit Hamish's Daddie over the head with a golf club. 

This provokes an equally violent response from Hamish who hammers Big John over the head with a whole bag of clubs, thus ending things once and for all.

Hamish is proclaimed champion of the island and sails back to the mainland where he meets Mister McWhacker and the rest of the Princes Park team who are about to fly to Austria. 

Upon landing we find it to be a stereotypical Austria, with mountains and quant houses, along with men in their national costume. While the team heads off to their hotel, Hamish surveys the mountains and is intrigued by the ski-jump. A local explains that in winter young me ski down the jump before flying through the air. Hamish is taken to the top of the jump and imagines what it must be like,. He is snapped out of this reverie as one of his footballs gets loose and rolls down the ramp. Hamish does his best to catch up with it, and unsurprisingly finds himself slipping over and flying off the edge of the ramp. 

We don't see his landing, but later at the team hotel, he arrives on a stretcher, much to the dismay of Mister McWhacker and the rest of the team who are only an hour away from their game. 

I enjoyed the fun in the second half of the strip, although I was disappointed to see the Island Games come to such a rapid conclusion. It was wrapped up in only a few panels with Hamish hitting Big John over the head and being handed the trophy. I would have preferred a little more on the page before we took off to Austria. That said, the Austrian part of the story is good so far, and the sight of Hamish flying off the edge of the ski jump was the highlight of this week's issue. A humorous sight, one would have to be pretty cold-hearted indeed not to smile at it. This is the Hamish that we have become accustomed to seeing, and the exaggerated silliness of it is all part of its charm. We get some football action next week, the first time in a month, and the final tagline of the strip has me intrigued. Just who will be playing in goal when Princes Park's keeper is injured?

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Hoots! So You want to try some sword-fencing...with gold clubs! Right, ye asked for it!"

Johnny Cougar

Johnny is boxing against Golden Boy and has discovered the hard way the Golden Boy has been having secret lessons for over a year. 

Johnny manages to regain his feet by the eight count, and all he can do is try and avoid the flurry of punches coming his way for the rest of the round. He does manage to get a shot of his own on target, but some surreptitious cheating by Golden Boy has Johnny on the back foot and lucky to reach the end of the round still on his feet. 

Round two is more of the same, with Johnny doing his best to avoid the worst of it while managing to land a blow or two of his own. The round ends with Golden Boy on top, and with the wrestling still to come all are waiting to see which way the referee will call the boxing match. 

Good in-ring action, but not as good as the wrestling normally is. The boxing lacks the dynamism of the wrestling, and as such I could never quite get into it as much as a wrestling match. Given that this week's strip was entirely boxing, I could never warm to it as much as I tried to. Both fighters looked good on the page, and the facial expression of the announcer on the final page was superb, but with Johnny just hanging on, the story didn't carry the heavy drama it could have. Johnny was always going to make it through to the wrestling portion of the match-up, and as much as we saw him struggle here, the ending was never in doubt. Hopefully, next week gives us a sense of drama and the high stakes they are fighting for, but until then I walk away from this issue with little to say about this week. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Wah, not time to make heap un-funny jokes!"

Tallon Of The Track

Jo Tallon had been looking for a new rider to join the Ospreys, but she has bitten off more than she can chew as she is surrounded by a group of rogue riders in the countryside. 

Buster Green is the leader of the group, and as Jo does her best to avoid the group she finds that Buster is the only one who can keep up with her and her riding. 

Eventually, the numbers win out, and Jo finds herself off the bike and facing down the mob. The mob means business, but there is a surprise as Jo finds Buster Green stepping in to defend her. As he puts it to his gang, any girl that can outride him must be something. 

With the brawl over, Jo offers Buster a trial ride with the Ospreys, which he readily accepts.  The trial goes well, and Jo is happy to accept him into the team. However, Bill Ritchie, who had been previously dropped from the team for dangerous riding, is most unhappy and determined to lodge a complaint. The story finishes this week with Buster Green about to ride in his first race, while Bill Ritchie threatens to go to the chairman. 

I think we all knew that it would end like this, with Buster Green joining the team. Jo's joyride through the country was a pleasant distraction, although in the larger scheme of things, fairly lightweight. I do like the fact that Buster has gone from an anti-hero to a hero in a single week, while Bill Ritchie continues a downward slide. The two men's contrasting fortunes work well on the page and bring a nice sense of balance to the strip. The last two weeks do feel a little meandering, but now the pieces have been moved into place we should get a few weeks of dramatic action as the two main antagonists clash. I will be here for it, and lapping up every panel of the brilliant art that accompanies the story.    

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Beat it, you creeps! Any doll that out-motor-cycle me is something! There'll be no throwing in ponds!" 

Nipper

Grove Lane Cricket Club are the easy beats of the local competition, but Nipper and his young batting partner are doing well against the local factory side. Nipper is encouraging his young partner to greater heights

Eventually, the innings ends, and Nipper and young Roger leave the field to the applause of their teammates. Nipper is keen to have a bowl, but he is banished to the boundary for fielding duty. Not much is happening, although Nipper does pull off a spectacular diving catch.

Things change with the appearance of Sir Henry, the club secretary, who calls the captain over for a chat. After this, the captain immediately calls Nipper in and hands him the ball to bowl. 

Nipper sets a wide field, but there's no need as he snatches a wicket with his first ball. His bowling may look innocuous, but he manages to put a wicked spin on the ball, and soon the opposition team is all out for ninety-seven - and Grove Lane has their very first victory. 

Although the team is happy, Nipper is worried about the future as he finds that Sir Henry's son was his young batting partner Roger, and now Sir Henry expects similar results every week. 

The cricket in this strip was far more enjoyable than it had any right to be, and I never imagined that I would enjoy seeing Nipper playing cricket as much as I did here. Any panel that saw him at full stretch captures the energy of Nipper, and we saw this both when he was diving for catches and when he was diving to prevent a run-out. The team still hasn't accepted him, but we are seeing small steps being taken. I can see that this story is well-paced, and we won't be rushing through anything too quickly - which is about right for a story about cricket. Not spectacular, it was a solid issue and it rounds out this week's issue with a sense of warmth that lures me back as much as any action on the page.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I can't believe it! Grove Lane have actually won a game!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Best Line: "Okay, Johnny...I think you've got him worried...he thought he'd killed you!" 

Best Panel: 

Roy's Sports Quiz: